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Songwriting in Ableton Live (Or Any Audio Application)

Music theory for the rest of us.
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What you are going to learn

In this class, we are going to write some songs together. 

This class is for anyone who has an interest in songwriting. Especially:
Aspiring Songwriters: If you have never written a song before, but you want to learn how its done, this course is for you.

Songwriters: If you are a traditional songwriter, but want to expand your palette by using electronic elements, or just help recording your songs, this course is for you.

Musicians: If you have wanted to improve your compositions by understanding how the writing with audio software works, this course is for you.

Producers: Improve your tracks by gaining a deeper understanding of form, sketching, structure, and development.
While Ableton Live is used in this class, the concepts are easily adaptable to any and all music platforms. So if you use Logic, FL Studio, Reaper, Pro Tools, LMMS, or any of the other DAW programs, you will have no trouble following along.

Here is a list of some of the topics we will cover:
  • The Essential Tools of Songwriting
  • Working with MIDI
  • MIDI Controllers, Keyboards, and Guitars
  • Overdubbing real instruments
  • Defining a Sound "Palette"
  • Building a Library of Samples
  • Building a Library of Synths
  • Building a Library of Drum Sounds and Loops
  • Sketching
  • Developing a Sketch
  • Expanding a Sketch
  • Defining Form
  • Lyrics
  • Drum Programming
  • Sound Design Elements
  • Synthesizers
  • Recording "real" Instruments
  • Mixing
  • Balancing
  • Tuning Recordings
  • Mastering
  • And much, much more!

Course reviews

It is a great class to really get the proces of creating a music piece from scratch. I learned a lot. Jason is a great teacher. In a quiet and relaxed way he takes you through all the steps. It is great that he shows you the mistakes, the happy accidents, the search and the solutions! It gives you insight how to work from sketch to print and how to listen and be critical. So thank you Jason :)
- Henk Fakkeldij
This course is a fantastic way to dive in to writing, especially if you tend to get stuck like I do, I had two completed sketches by the end. Thank you!!
- Angelique Zuluaga